Citrine Eagle Highmountain Expedition
The Citrine Eagle Highmountain Expedition was a culmination effort from the Citrine Eagle in a bid to gain new allies in the Highmountain Tribe which populates the region of Highmountain. After defeat in the Shadows of Valor Conflict, Vrykul aggression became more rampant, forcing the birds to "fly-the-coop" in search of new potential allies away from Stormheim, after the Citrine Eagle Stormheim Expedition. This is an ongoing campaign. Prologue On their journey towards the mountain pass leading into Highmountain, the Citrine Eagle uncovered Helya loyal Vrykul had kidnapped several Skyhorn affiliated Tauren, and were prepared to damn their souls to Helheim. In a bid of good faith, and to stand against the forces of Helya, a small sting operation was headed into the Vrykul town in order to free the Tauren from their sentence to eternal damnation. Their mission was - mostly successful, having saved many of the Skyhorn who were captured, their front runner, Hark Featherglide, offered to lead the Eagle's into the passes to introduce them to Highmountain, and so he could safely get his people home. Trouble at Stonehoof Watch With the Eagle's arrival in Stonehoof Watch, all was not well. The area was teeming with aggressive members of the aggressive Tideskorn Clan of Vrykul who sought to overtake the Tauren with the help of their Storm Dragons. There, they also came across Herr'ton Goodberry, a member of the Skyhorn tribe who gave the strangers the benefit of the doubt, knowing his people needed all the help they could get. For two long weeks, the Citrine Eagle assisted the Tauren in the defense of the watch, learning to utilize the bola shooters, and learning how to ground a charge of lighting to counter against the Storm Dragons. With the defense over, the flock began to push towards a small Dragon roost that perpetuated the issues in the area, and if it were to be cleared, the Tauren of Stonehoof would be safe. This task would take multiple nights, due to a misunderstanding from Shindo as he began to drag a storm drake towards a large charge of electricity, overcharging the beast, and forcing the Eagle's to flee to combat the mother dragon the night after. The battle against the Mother dragon was tense, but with some dutiful thinking from Sylvia Ashwood, the Dragon was more easily countered by crashing small boulders into it. However, the Dragon fell into a rage, and began to perpetuate an avalanche. Only a few Eagles were nearly buried by this, but many managed to find higher ground in time, giving them the chance to defeat the dragon. With the dragons death, its whelplings were kept secure by the Skyhorn in a request from the Eagle's guide in the region, Herr'ton Goodberry. Journey to Skyhorn The successful defense of Stonehoof offered the Skyhorn a great example as to why the Citrine Eagle should be welcome in the region, and with their guide wholly impressed by their capabilities, led the lot of them towards Skyhorn, but not without a stop on the way to meet with his brother Darg, a wise, older Tauren whom told the group of all the issues that plagued Highmountain. He spoke of a Drogbar menace, and the hammer of Khaz'goroth to the Eagles. However, Darg took on a special respect for a local druid of the Citrine Eagle, Raelor Swiftclaw. With Raelor's great example, Darg chose to follow the group into Skyhorn to help get them settled. However, in Skyhorn, the Citrine Eagle had uncovered the fact that their missing Justicar, Sir Kavid "Slick" McTash had been recovering from his grievous wounds there. He was soon then sent home. Just like Stonehoof, Skyhorn also seemed to have its issues. Aside from the political unrest in the Highmountain Tribe, the local harpies had begun to encroach upon their lands - which at first, they did not think much of, all until the harpies moved in to assault Skyhorn proper. Once again the flock found itself defending the Tauren, and got their first example of the great and terrible power the Darkfeather Harpies possessed. A large, terrible Roc bounded towards the Eagle's, and did terrible damage to most of them in which the likes they never experienced with other larger evil birds, and were unable to defeat the Roc, who bounded off to safety while the Harpies began their occupation of territories just outside of Skyhorn. Darkfeather Roost With the Harpies populating a new roost just outside of the town, they began to warp and manipulate eagles from the Skyhorn Tribe they had captured, and transformed them into the terrible Darkfeather Roc's the Eagle's had to face not a few nights ago. But the occupation of this area made the defense of Skyhorn nearly constant for the Tauren, and the Citrine Eagle worked to play the deciding outcome in the occupation of the roost. In a large, full scale assault begun by the Skyhorn, the Citrine Eagle spearheaded the charge, taking out a great number of the witches in the roost, along with a small conclave which were ascending Eagles to this terrible power. But alas, the tides turned when the same Roc that had defeated the Eagle's not a few nights ago returned into the fray, and sought to end them once and for all. This time, they were much more prepared, and with great valiance, defeated the Roc - which forced the remaining Harpies to flee after the Skyhorn charge. Herr'ton wished to keep pushing into the primary Harpy holdings, but, the Skyhorn as a whole chose to await a better opportunity. Preparing an Assault, and the Sacking of the Harpy Den With Eagles of the Citrine variety and the Avian-kind on their side, Herr'ton found great pleasure in the fact they would be able to restore peace in the region, and sought to begin the final push into Harpy territory as soon as possible. This all began with assaults on the local Kobolds, who turned out to be loyal to the Harpies. These Kobolds, somehow, almost killed the Eagles. No questions were asked as to why thereafter, but it did indeed happen. And during their fight, they met the matriarch of the den mothers as a whole, a white feathered harpy witch that taunted at the Eagle's as they struggled against small rat-men. In the end, they successfully cleared the way to push inwards, a struggle for another day. With their forces rested and prepared, Herr'ton chose his newfound friends, the Citrine Eagle, to aid him in spearheading the charge into the Harpy dwellings with him. This charge, almost seemed far too simple. The Eagle's were well able to decimate the ranks of the Harpies in swift succession, and as they did, the white witch watched them beneath a dome of void powers. In this void bubble a convocation of harpies were also empowering yet another Roc, and unlike at Darkfeather Roost, they proved much more successful this time. The large Roc would preoccupy the Eagle's, and Herr'ton took to a one on one battle with the White Witch of the Darkfeathers. The battle was long, and harsh, but as the Eagle's fought the Roc, the White Witch managed to get a hold on Herr'tons spear, an heirloom he'd never give up. Holding onto it for his life, the Harpy with dragged him into the skies, and up the mountains. Efforts to stop this were unsuccessful, and Herr'ton was then lost. But, soon after, the battle was won - but it did not feel like a victory. Herr'tons brother, Darg, entered with reinforcements of Tauren to secure the area. Not being able to find his brother after the battle kept him there overnight in hopes Herr'ton would return, vowing to come and rescue him. The Eagle's were very confident Herr'ton would be alright. The White Witch As the night dawned and the uphill battle began against the Darkfeather Harpies, Darg assisted in leading the charge with The Citrine Eagle. The Eagles were met with minor obstacles, some kobolds who sought to crush them under boulders, as well as a large swarm of harpies, but their resolve proved strong, and the order pressed on. However in the midst of battle, the night sky lit up with a fel green glow, and with such, a crackle of fel power erupted atop the mountain. In the middle of the battle, the Legion had come to take out the Harpies that had not worked with them, and the Eagles as well. The Harpies, now fighting on two fronts, quickly faltered, and the Citrine Eagle charged up the mountain to begin combating the Legion forces with a considerable amount of success, nearing so close to the location Herr'ton was held at the top of the mountain, and the throne of the White Witch. Ascending to the throne, all they came across was a pile of bodies, demon, harpy and roc alike. At the altar, the White Witch stood in the grasp of a Tauren corrupted by fel magic, and with one strong flick of the Tauren's forearm, he snapped the harpies neck, leaving her for dead. This Tauren was Herr'ton, who did not exactly notice the Eagles until the harpy was dispatched. With a look of horror on his face, he was quick to run off thereafter. Darg left in despair, and the Harpy menace then quelled, the Eagles needed to find the now corrupted Tauren that had guided them through the mountains for so long. However, with the harpies defeated, the small remnants of their society in the Darkfeather Valley chose not to stand against the Legion, but flee from them and have their vengeance for their fallen matriarch. In the dead of night, the darkfeather remnants made their venture towards the Skyhorn. The Skyhorn was left undefended, and was easily claimed by the Darkfeather Remnants, however, this decision to seek out vengeance would prove fatal for their kind. Darg, fueled by the rage from the loss of his brother to Fel corruption led the charge again in a quick uphill battle against the harpies. The battered and bruised harpies were offered no mercy, and as he Eagles reached the Skyhorn, the group came across a larger harpy preparing to desecrate the Skyhorn by breaking it. However, the Eagles were quick to stop her, and end her life. Even with the loss of his brother still taunting him, Darg remained grateful for the presence of the Eagles, and declared he would help them reach the capital of Thunder Totem the next day. It was time for them to move on, and help unify the Tauren tribes. Thunder Totem The very next day after the reclamation of the Skyhorn, Darg and the Eagles prepared for their adventure to move towards the capital, but not without rewards with their great successes in the region. Darg offered the group seven eagle eggs that they could raise and care for n their own, from the clutch of Herr'ton's eagle. Sir Shindo was selected to hold onto the eggs as they made their venture onwards, and the group proceeded towards Thunder Totem. On their way, they were quick to encounter an issue just outside of the capitals doorstep, a large, menacing rock monster held in the midst of combat with a few of the Highmountain Guardians. Raelor Valeclaw was quick to escourt the Tauren to safety as the Eagles distracted the large elemental. Having not fought one before, they did not realize the great elemental could seperate itself when it was damaged, and fight with a new resolve. However, the druids and shaman of the Citrine Circle empowered one another to drive roots into one of the elementals that had split from the much larger one. As a result the tide of the battle turned, and with only one small rock elemental to be concerned with, the group prevailed, and were able to finish their journey to the capital. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by an elderly woman, who guided them to the menders tent to rest for the night before continuing their journey. The Eagle's had arrived into Thunder Totem revered for their deeds in offering their assistance to the Skyhorn Tribe. Darg, having come along with them managed to delegate with the Tauren of Thunder Totem to make certain the group was kept safe, in exchange for their notable assistance as they offered in Skyhorn. Their first mission began when group was directed to go uncover the whereabouts of two smaller tribes in the area. The Hoofshears, and the Blackmanes. Clash of Clans In a small diplomatic mission to meet with the two tribes, they were first faced with a long, perilous bridge. The bridge itself was old and rickety - and not at all good for walking on. Some assumed this was the reason that the Tauren had not sent scouts out. But, as the group tried to cross, several planks broke, and some individuals nearly fell into the pits below. However, after Danath Morsin had made his way over to the other side, the group was greeted in an unwelcoming manner by the Blackmane Tribe. As the Eagle's spoke with the leader of the Blackmane Tribe, they learned the groups were both wrought with peril and at the brink of war. The Blackmane Tribe was convinced the Hoofshears were killing their couriers to Thunder Totem. Their leader also thought there could be no peace between each tribe due to how aggressive the Hoofshear tribe was. With this knowledge the group decided to move along to the Hoofshear Camp in hopes that they could help each group delegate and create peace with one-another. Once again with their arrival the Tauren greeted them with near-aggression, and the Hoofshear tribe had asked the group to make their leave. With the Eagle's suspicious, they spoke with the Hoofshear chieftain and discovered that the Blackmane Tribe threatened the well-being off the Hoofshears with a great deal over over-hunting the lands. This nearly brought the tribe to starvation, and forced them to steal goods from the Blackmanes to survive. Alongside this knowledge, the Hoofshear leader also told that the Blackmane Tribe was in fact a new tribe in the area, and not at all the lands the Blackmanes had been populating for ages. In spite of this, the group still persisted in trying to open up delegations, and the Hoofshears agreed - if they could get a member of the Blackmane Tribe to come delegate, that is. The group soon ventured back to the Blackmane encampment. Confident they could establish a diplomatic summit between the two tribes, the group was surprised to learn that the Blackmane Tribe would in fact send a delegate of their own to trail the Eagles. The quick meeting sent the Eagle's back towards the Hoofshear encampment yet again. At this point, their legs had grown tired of the consistent back and forth of the night, but needed to press on in order to create peace. Arriving at the Hoofshear encampment, a few Blackmane Tribe members managed to sneak behind them. Once the group arrived, the Blackmane Tribe members drank down a foul - bubbling green liquid none other than demons blood. The group was duped, but the Hoofshear were quick to take on the offensive. Their Cheiftain had absolutely decimated the fel corrupted Tauren alongside the group, and as the short battle was one, down below the Blackmane encampment became crazed. It seemed as if a war was about to begin. But for the time being, the Eagles were sent off to distribute the news. Tauren of Thunder Totem were quick to move to bolster the Hoofshear forces. Pilgrim's Bounty With the Hoofshear Tribe bolstered for the coming week, and the Blackmanes kept at bay for now, it was time to celebrate the holidays with friends new and old. The members of The Radiant Vigil had made the long trek out to Thunder Totem to visit their Eagle brethren and celebrate alongside them in a small feast. The festivities went on late into the night, along with several toasts in which many people managed to get far too intoxicated for their own good. All seemed well, however on the outskirts of the camp - Herr'ton lingered with a small party of Feltotem Tauren. The small group of Feltotem led by Herr'ton was quick to charge up towards Thunder Totem to breach the tent the Eagles were in. With their targets set, Herr'ton had managed to overwhelm and steal away Issabeia Heartsong and Zaria Blackmoore in the intoxicated confusion and panic. The others had managed to steal away Dame Vivian Tapp, Clara Ashton, and Cathlin Whitlock. However with Herr'ton departing, he turned towards the group and apologized for his actions before running off with the victims. With the party-goers still intoxicated, and everyone ill prepared, all that could be done was for some Tauren riders to be sent out to figure out where these Feltotem had run off to, but were nowhere to be found. This prompted an immediate investigation the day after led by Marisa Huckabee. The group had ventured to the presumed direction the lot of the captives had been led too. On their journey they managed to uncover a few items of note. They had found a silver chain, along with a set of simple beads, Mother Heartsong's teacup, and Zaria's Libram. However, they also managed to run into a few rabid moose which were sadly murdered. The group at the very least were assured they were going in the right direction - and the fact was only perpetuated when a band of Feltotem Tauren hopping down to assault them. However, these Feltotem were dismissed quickly, and one was even captured. With Darg present on the scene, and several Eagle's threatening the Feltotem - he admitted that the captives were being held at a burial grounds and were being prepared for sacrifice. With the news, and little knowledge of which burial grounds from the vague description - Shindo sent Zanarial Dayglow and Lynn Hervston to uncover which burial ground this was, and where exactly it was. The pair moved west and uncovered the Chieftain burial grounds in the far west, just on the marshy coast of Highmountain. After taking about a day to prepare for an assault, The Citrine Eagle and The Radiant Vigil had moved in to begin their assault on the encampment. Sacking the encampment where the captives were held was not a simple task, as they were met with their guardians. A Feltotem Tauren, an Eredar Warlock, and an Inquisitor Demon all guarded the cages, and a great battle took place against them. Most of the group was nearly crushed, or ecaged by the Inquisitor, but with the offerings of their healers the group managed to prevail. Moving to the cages the group had managed to uncover Vivian Tapp, Clara Ashton, and Cathlin Whitlock from their cells. The starving and tired trio could only mention that Issabeia and Zaria had been dragged away into a cave for a sacrificial ritual. Too exhausted to chase, the group awaited for the next night. When the next night came, the group was quick to surge into the cave and end the life of the fel-corrupted Herr'ton and begin their assault on the Draenei who was beginning their ritual on Mother Heartsong and Lady Blackmoore. With great valiance, they dispatched the villain and managed to save the pair. The two captives were brought to Thunder Totem to rest for the future. They each recovered well from their week of hunger after a few days of trying to regain their strength, and all for the most part was well. The Drogbar In a venture headed by Horacea Agnelli, the Eagle's began to venture due east of Thunder Totem where they uncovered a Drogbar trying to kidnap a mother Tauren's "Moofin", or their small baby child. While the venture was more so tailored to finding the departed Adler Dufaud, the group sprung into action to save and protect the "Moofin", who the Drogbar intended to sacrifice to the worm Naraxas. The group, intent on investigation began preparations to continue ventures closer to Neltharion's Lair. However the next week, more Drogbar activity began to pick up in the west, and the Tauren needed someone to defend the tower near the Drogbar activity. The Eagle's heard the call to aid. Upon their investigation they managed to discover that the Drogbar were successfully summoning Brulworms to their call. The one summoned from the earth that was set before them was quite massive, and the first of its kind the Eagle's had come across. The great and massive worm had done a great deal to them, slamming into most and brushing them aside as if they were nary a speck of dust. However, the group did their best to remain resilient and managed to dispatch the Brulworm through the clever move of poking many bloody holes into the beast. Upon their victory however, as the Brulworm laid lifeless on the ground and slowly began to rise with some great force. The culprit behind this force called out to the Eagle's "DO... YOU... EVEN... LIFT... BRUL?" as he chucked the massive Brulworm into the Taurens tower; injuring a few, but killing none. The group was absolutely outraged at the audacity of this Drogbar as he tried to speak to them and justify his actions. Sadly however, he was much weaker than expected; and with a smack to the back, crumpled over like paper and died. The tower was for the most part now safe. With the Eagle's now able to travel between Talongrab City and Thunder Totem more openly, this gave the Drogbar openings to attack the Tauren whole the Citrine Eagle was elsewhere. But to make up for this, they sought to stopper the remaining threat indefinitely by taking the plunge into Neltharion's Lair, led by Horacea Agnelli. The group started at one of the highest peaks in the lands, and used goblin style gliders to soar above the landscape and land safely at the mouth of the cave in order to avoid confrontation with the large ettins which would prolong their endeavor. But alas entering the cave the Citrine Eagle was not welcomed warmly. The Drogbar within were quick to move towards their location to ensure they did not in fact reach the main caverns. During the combat a rumbling set the stage for the great and massive Brulworm that would eventually creep out from the earth and sweep the Eagle's off of the tall cliff side and into the waters of the main caverns. The Brulworm had set the fight to its own terms, and the Eagle's had just become the prey. The massive Brulworm ascended from the earth within the cave, but the Eagle's quickly devised a plan to entrap the massive beast within the more narrow passes of the cave to give it a swift end. As they pressed onward, Raelor managed to get the beast trapped within roots that spawned directly from beneath it; and leading by example, Lady Blackmoore began to push on a loosely planted and large spine to topple it over and crush the Brulworm. Its death was swift, and the Eagle's were able to once again go home safely -- aside from running away from ettins to get back to Thunder Totem. Gallery File:WoWScrnShot_110716_205621.jpg|The Citrine Eagle discusses how to handle the Darkfeather Harpies. File:WoWScrnShot_102416_202020.jpg|Herr'ton guides the Order to a dragon roost. File:WoWScrnShot_110216_201113.jpg|The first days in Skyhorn. File:WoWScrnShot_103116_200727.jpg File:WoWScrnShot_103116_203627.jpg File:WoWScrnShot_103116_204546.jpg __NOEDITSECTION__ Category:Events Category:The Citrine Eagle Category:Campaigns